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Well, it was a long, slushy winter, but the warm weather has arrived…I think.

But..can I tell you a secret? I really don’t like summer. I much prefer the cool, crisp temps of fall. Plus, I love the falling leaves and the scents and foods and fashions that colder weather brings. I also have major sensitivity to light now that I’ve lost most of my sight. The strong sunshine hurts my eyes, even with strong sunnies. So I treasure the gray, stormy days. Plus, I just love a good thunderstorm. I think they’re romantic.

So it’s already shaping up to be a very busy summer. I’m moving soon to a much bigger apartment, and I’ve been packing. It’s a challenge now with my low vision, but I’m getting things done with a little help from my friends.

Meanwhile, I’m almost finished with Part One of BLINDSIDED. Josie and Oliver’s story is complex and complicated. The book is layered with the emotion of a love gone wrong as they endeavor to repair the angst from the past in the wake of their greatest challenge yet.

I’m looking at an early 2019 release. But you might have a little surprise before then. More details on that later in the summer. I need to survive my move first. Hey, I made it through brain surgery. I got this.

And while you’re packing for the beach, don’t forget about SMITTEN. It’s the perfect beach read, and it’s set in June in Provence and Paris. It’s a fun romp, and it’s perfect to pass a hot day. Just turn up the air conditioning. It’s one steamy read…

I hope you enjoy the beaches and barbecues of the warmer weather. A safe and happy summer to all!

Want an exclusive peep at BLINDSIDED?

A year ago today, we had the nor’easter to end all storms in New York City.

I love a good snowstorm, but I missed that one in its entirety. I was asleep most of the day. Literally, I was under the knife, having brain surgery to place a shunt in my head.

I saw none of it until one of my best friends picked me up at the hospital and shuttled me — and Coop, who was staying with her — home from Manhattan to Brooklyn.

Most people tend to beware the ides of March. However, I now embrace the old curse. Hey, Friday the 13th was always my luckiest day, and as far as I’m concerned, March 15 brought a lot of positive changes to my life.

I lost most of my sight last year due to spinal fluid building pressure against my optic nerves. Hence, the shunt to siphon away all that icky stuff. When I went into the surgery, I pretty much couldn’t see anything but a blur of white. I didn’t need the blizzard. I already had one built into my eyes.

Although I’m still legally blind, I gained so much from that day beyond the minimal sight that eventually did return.

Now, I live every single day as if it might be my last. I snuggle Coop a little tighter, and maybe he’s gained a few ounces from too many treats. I don’t just say, “I love you.” I show the people in my life how much they mean to me in whatever small ways I can. And I make the time in my crazy, hectic life to create memories.

Having lost one of my oldest and dearest friends last year to a heart attack at 45 — and having my own dose of my imminent fatality slap me in the face — I know that time is all too fleeting. I do what I want when I want, and I appreciate every second of the joys that life continues to reveal. And I’m glad that I told everyone who means something to me how much I love them before I went under on that wintry March afternoon.

March has always been a strange month for me. My mom passed away twenty years ago at the tender age of 51. I think of her every day, but this month has always been difficult.

This year, though, I think she’s telling me from beyond to celebrate all the good that I still have in my life. And I am, with the people who matter most.

Among other things, living in New York City has taught me resilience. The everyday fight just to exist ain’t easy. I’m used to that. And that mindset made me strong. I’m just lucky that I had some amazing friends over the years who have helped me to understand that endless fight of survival against contentment. There’s a happy medium, and I think I’ve almost found it.

There’s no time for senseless stress in my life anymore. I only allow myself to get anxious over the stuff that really matters — the things I’m most passionate about. In a lot of ways, I’m happier now that I’ve lost most of my vision than before I got sick.

They say that if you’re a year out after shunt surgery with no revisions, you’re doing pretty damn good. Not that there might not be complications in the future, but you’re doing okay. And I’ll take that.

As I head into this next year, I’m sure it will be full of challenges, but I do have so much good in my life, and that needs to be celebrated. Regardless of what the future holds, at least I can say to myself with absolute conviction: I’ve got this. I’ve got this.

Who says there’s no humor in BDSM? Wait til you meet January Gallimore. I am so excited to share with you my erotic comedy, SMITTEN, live now on Amazon!

January Gallimore has arrived at a crossroad in life.

A short-lived scandal that had made her the darling of the BDSM community did little to damage her status as America’s sweetheart. However, her career starring in romantic comedies hasn’t given her any insights into figuring out her own love life.

For five years, January shared a long-distance love affair with French rock legend, Etienne Marceaux. Their relationship is passionate but comfortable. Caught in the whirlwind between New York and Paris, they indulge in stolen moments in between their chaotic celebrity lives.

Although Etienne certainly knows how to entertain her with his Dominance, January realizes that something is missing. Now a thirty-something actress, she wonders how long her career will endure, and she questions some of the decisions she’s made.

On a spontaneous trip with her best friend to Provence, January encounters a chance meeting with a younger Englishman, Nigel Hereford-Smyth. With his naivete and somewhat awkward aristocratic ways, Nigel, nevertheless, sweeps January off her Louboutin pumps.

As they romp about the French countryside, January tutors her young suitor on the finer points of BDSM, and Nigel unwittingly leads January on a deep exploration of what really matters in her life. While she allows herself to revel in the bliss of a possible new man in her life, she also realizes that Nigel carries his own set of baggage.

Forced to leave Nigel by her filming schedule, January returns to the hustle of Hollywood, only to find her confusion mounting.

Will she choose Etienne, who makes her body sizzle…or Nigel, whose charm and manners leave her SMITTEN?

SMITTEN is the first book in the “Paris Après Minuit” Series, which will include a range of erotic standalones, all set in the City of Light and surrounds.

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I had so much fun writing this book. January is not your typical submissive. She’s played the scene for far too long. She knows what she wants. And she’s not afraid to ask for it. Confident and smart, she also appreciates the every day foibles life tosses her way.

I also enjoyed writing the setting for the book, which chronicles January’s journey from Paris to Provence. I love visiting France, and I am obsessed with French pop culture.